Dark Haven Found (The Children Of The Gods #49) - I.T. Lucas Page 0,72

me as a violent man, and I knew that I could take care of myself. But I found out that he was very strong, and he overpowered me with ease.” She shrugged. “My unwanted attraction to Emmett was probably the spiked wine’s fault. Anyway, Greggory sensed my guilt, and he suspected that more happened than what I told him. It’s sad that it ended like that, but I’ll get over it. It’s not the first time I got dumped.”

“Some men get very possessive,” Margaret said quietly. “And it can get really ugly. Count yourself fortunate that he only left you. He could have done much worse.”

Eleanor leaned back and crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m not afraid of him. If he had tried anything, he would have paid dearly for it.”

Looking at the impressive biceps bunching under the woman’s long-sleeved shirt, Margaret could believe it. Eleanor was strong, and she was an undercover operative, which meant that she was also well-trained.

Her strength was enviable, as was her confidence.

“Did you always want to be an undercover agent?” Margaret changed the subject.

Eleanor smiled. “Not always. My first job was in pharmaceutical sales, and I was very good at it. I made a small fortune.”

“That makes me even more envious. You never needed to depend on anyone for anything. You are a strong and independent woman.”

Eleanor grimaced. “Yeah, and look where it got me.” She let out a sigh. “Not that I would trade my independence for a white picket fence and two and a half kids, but why can’t I have both?”

“You can.” Peter clapped her on the back. “Just not with Greggory.” He motioned for the waitress to come over. “Let’s order.”

55

Anastasia

A rhythmic beeping sound woke Ana up. Was the battery in the damn smoke detector dead again? She’d just changed the thing last week. It couldn’t be dying already.

No, it couldn’t be the detector. The beeping was much softer, and it was continuous, unlike the smoke detector that would beep every few minutes. It was still annoying, though.

Cracking her eyes open, she waited until the blur cleared and the unfamiliar room she was in came into focus. It was a small hospital room. The lights were dimmed, and there was no window, so she had no idea what time it was.

As the cobwebs of sleep began crumbling, she remembered getting in the car with Leon, Bowen, and Margaret. At some point, she must have dozed off, and Leon had carried her to the clinic.

Where was he? And where was the doctor who was supposed to run tests on her?

Her head hurt, the damn nausea was still there, and her eyesight became blurry again. Forcing her eyes to focus, she lifted her head an inch off the pillow and looked at her prone body. She was hooked up to an IV, a blood pressure cuff was strapped around her bicep, and a wire was attached to her chest with a sticky pad.

Something must have gone really wrong.

Had she passed out? And where was Leon?

His venom was supposed to keep her healthy, but apparently that had been a lie or a gross exaggeration because she was definitely not okay.

As the last of the sleepiness evaporated, she became aware of another sound in the room, someone’s even breaths, and they weren’t hers. Lifting her head a couple of inches, she glanced in the direction the breathing was coming from and found its source.

Leon was sleeping on a cot next to her bed, which was much too small to contain his large body. His arm was hanging over the side, and his feet were sticking out of the frame. He was still dressed in the same clothes he had on when they left the cabin, which meant that he hadn’t left her side.

God, she loved this man. He might not have been entirely truthful with her, which bothered Ana greatly, and he was a mutant, which surprisingly didn’t bother her nearly as much, and yet he was perfect for her. He cared for her like no one else ever had, and for the first time in her life, she felt that she belonged with someone. He was her home, her future.

A warmth filling her chest, Ana watched him sleep for a long moment before calling his name, or rather whispering it because that was all she could manage.

He bolted up, the cot rattling from the sudden movement and then sliding the other way. “Anastasia?” He was on his feet and next to her